A $30 Mid-Century Armoire Gets a Makeover

Katie Nathey
by Katie Nathey
3 Materials

I purchased this Mid-Century Armoire/Dresser about 6 months ago at Goodwill for just $30 and it’s been collecting dust {and spiderwebs} in the corner of our garage ever since. Despite it needing some work, I was in love with the character and knew it would be a great storage solution for my creative office/craft room. It was produced by Basic-Witz Furniture company, which was created in 1889 in Waynesboro, VA and was bought out by Stanley Furniture in the 1970’s. Now it's not only pretty, but it's super functional in my office and helps hide my printer and other office/craft supplies.

You can see more details over at my blog, UpcycledTreasures.com

Upcycled Mid-Century Armoire Makeover for Creative Workspace/Craft Room.

Before Photo

The top was pretty damaged so we unscrewed it and replaced it with a fresh piece of MDF.

Here you can see the cut piece of MDF that now fits on top.

I wanted more space to store my printer and other items so we removed 2 of the drawer sliders to create more space.

We then nailed in a piece of scrap plywood.

I used my Homeright Finish Max Sprayer to add some DIY white chalk paint to the armoire/dresser.

Thrifted armoire painted with DIY white chalk paint.

Some aqua paint was then added to the center of the cabinet doors, followed by an edge of Liquid Leaf in classic gold.

I bought this liquid leaf with a 50% off coupon at Michael's and am now obsessed with it!

I also added the Liquid Leaf to the hardware and on some of the detail on the drawers.

And here it is all put back together. I love how it brightens up my office and it makes me happy every time I look at it :)

Katie Nathey
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Amy Brammer Amy Brammer on Jun 13, 2016
    So gorgeous. I also make my own chalk paint. I wonder if we use the same recipe. Also, what do you use over your paint: wax or polycrylic?
  • Penny-Marie Penny-Marie on Feb 26, 2019

    Your before & after pictures show 2 drawers but when you show it painted with the chalk paint there are 3 drawers. You mention removing 2 of the drawer sliders but where did you remove them from? Where did you put your printer?

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